Work Phrasal Verbs in English: 10 Useful Expressions for the Workplace

Work phrasal verbs in English are very common in offices, meetings, job interviews, and everyday professional communication. If you want to sound more natural and confident at work, learning these expressions is a smart place to start. In this lesson, you will learn 10 useful workplace phrasal verbs with meanings and example sentences to help you use them correctly.

Phrasal verbs can be one of the trickiest parts of learning English. They often have more than one meaning, and many of them do not make much sense when you translate them word for word. Still, they are extremely common in everyday English, especially in professional and workplace contexts.

If you want to sound more natural in English at work, it is important to learn the expressions that native speakers actually use. In this lesson, you will learn 10 useful work phrasal verbs in English that often appear in offices, meetings, job adverts, and business conversations. Each one comes with a clear meaning and practical example sentences to help you remember it more easily.

Let’s get down to business.

1. Burn out

Meaning: to become extremely tired, stressed, or ill because you have worked too hard for too long.

Many people burn out when they do not take enough rest or try to do too much at once.

Examples:

• I warned him not to work such long hours, but he burned himself out in the end.
• By the age of 35, Tom was completely burned out from years of stress and overwork.

2. Call off

Meaning: to cancel something that had been planned.

This phrasal verb is often used for meetings, events, strikes, trips, or operations.

Examples:

• The company called off its operations in the war-affected area.
• The factory workers called off the strike after further negotiations with management.

3. Carry out

Meaning: to do, perform, or complete something, especially a task, plan, or order.

It is a very useful formal phrasal verb, often used in workplace and business English.

Examples:

• The minister appointed a delegate to carry out the aid programme for poor children.
• More research will be carried out before the report is published.

4. Keep up with

Meaning: to stay informed about something, or to move at the same speed or standard as others.

This expression is especially common when talking about technology, industry changes, and professional knowledge.

Examples:

• Lawyers need to keep up with changes in the law.
• The company is trying to keep up with the latest technological developments.

5. Knock off

Meaning: to stop working, especially at the end of the working day.

This is a very common informal expression in British English.

Examples:

• We usually knock off at five, but today we’re staying later because of the meeting.
• Everyone had already knocked off by the time I got to the office.

6. Knuckle down

Meaning: to start working seriously and with full concentration.

This phrasal verb is often used when there is a deadline approaching or when someone needs to stop wasting time.

Examples:

• The deadline is getting close, so we really need to knuckle down.
• It’s time you knuckled down and finished that project once and for all.

7. Lay off

Meaning: to stop employing workers, usually because a company does not have enough work or money.

This phrasal verb is commonly used in business news and discussions about employment.

Examples:

• The company laid off 50 employees last month due to falling sales.
• If the crisis continues, we may have to lay off more staff.

8. Put off

Meaning: to postpone or delay something until a later time.

This is a very common phrasal verb in both everyday and professional English.

Examples:

• As we still haven’t reached a decision, I suggest we put off the meeting until next week.
• Don’t put off important tasks until the last minute.

9. Take on

Meaning: to hire someone, employ someone, or accept new work or responsibility.

This phrasal verb is very useful because it can refer both to employing staff and to accepting duties or challenges.

Examples:

• Our company is taking on new staff at the moment.
• She has taken on far too much work and is beginning to feel overwhelmed.

10. Take over

Meaning: to gain control of something, such as a business, job, or responsibility.

It can be used in both business and everyday workplace situations.

Examples:

• After Mr Bradley retired, his son took over the family business.
• Simon took over as restaurant manager only last week.

Why learn work phrasal verbs?

Work-related phrasal verbs are incredibly useful because they appear in:

• office conversations
• business emails
• meetings
• job interviews
• workplace news articles
• professional reports and discussions

If you know these expressions, your English will sound more natural, confident, and fluent. They are also very helpful for exams such as B2 First (FCE) and C1 Advanced (CAE), where a strong range of vocabulary can make a real difference.

Final thoughts

Learning phrasal verbs takes time, but the key is to learn them in context rather than as isolated items. Try to notice how they are used in example sentences, then make your own sentences connected to your work, studies, or daily life. That way, you are much more likely to remember them.

Start with these 10 work phrasal verbs, revise them regularly, and use them whenever you can. Little by little, they will become a natural part of your English vocabulary — and that is when the magic happens.

Do the quiz to perfect your knowledge:

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